Something New
by itsayamsham
Summary: You know what they say: "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." Unfortunately, this old saying becomes too true for Buffy, who must face the consequences of her brief, spell-induced engagement.
1. Prologue

Author's Notes:  
>Set at the end of "Something Blue."<br>Prologue was a drabble written for SB Fag Ends on Livejournal.  
>Disclaimer: All characters are not mine. I own no rights to anything BtvS related. No copyright infringement intended.<p>

**Something New by itsayamsham**

"Well, Buff, you didn't have something borrowed or something blue, but you were about to marry something _old_…," Xander quipped.

"Can it, Harris," Spike glared.

"Cookies! Cookies all around!" Willow stuffed one in Xander's face, which was in the middle of glaring back at Spike.

A mischievous grin slowly spread on Spike's face, "Say, if you let me loose I can make Harris blue."

Stuffing a cookie in Spike's face, Willow turned to Buffy, a "please don't hurt me" look etched onto her nervous face. "Cookie?"

"No thanks, Will. Feelin' queasy," Buffy patted her stomach. " Must be left over from the spell."

Little did Buffy know, she _did _have something new.

xXx


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Decided to continue my drabble on to a longer story. Will update continuously! I just couldn't resist.**

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 1

_One month later_

"Still feelin' queasy?" Back in their dorm room, Willow slung her bag off her shoulder and sat next to Buffy on her bed.

"Yeah. I've been starting to think the cafeteria food is the culprit. You know, ever since the yogurt machine _mysteriously_ broke the yogurt has tasted funny. Could just be the fact that we have to use communal bathrooms though - never sat well with me to begin with."

"Well, icky yogurt and communal bacteria aside, you really should get checked out. You could have the stomach flu. Or, you know, one of those new, crazy resistant-to-all-forms-of-antibiotics infections. Which are quite fascinating, by the way, in a creepy, can-wipe-out-the-planet way. In my immunology class-"

"Well, thanks for reassuring me, Will. I'm feeling all sorts of cozy with the super bacteria growing in me."

In reality, Buffy knew the culprit, the real culprit, but she didn't want to give voice to the possibility – the reality. It would make it, well, real. She had no fever, no headaches, no anything you get with the flu or any other kind of sickness. And, as a slayer, not very many bugs could take her down.

Biology pointed to one sign. Checklist? - _Constant vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smell, and, _oh yes_, being female._

Diagnosis? - _Pregnancy._

xXx

"_Please say no. Please say no. Please say no."_

Three blue X's, on three white sticks. _"No."_

Damn biology.

xXx

"Uh, Will?" Said roomie was head-first in her immunology textbook, no doubt immersing herself in the wonderful world of disease.

"Hm?"

Buffy wrung her hands nervously. _Stay calm, spit it out…"_I was wondering if you had some time, to, you know, talk about my queasiness? I-I kind of have an idea about what's wrong with me."

"Oh, sure, Buff." Shutting her book closed, she turned to Buffy, face rapt with attention. "Shoot."

_I'm totally pregnant with what may or not be an evil, soulless, very _toothy_ fetus…"_Well, um, it's kind of _not_ a disease, but a-a _parasite_ if you will." Parasite could certainly describe said fetus's possible biological father… "_One of the nine month variety…"_

Face pensive, uncertain, Willow replied slowly, "Buffy, are you saying…?"

"I'm pregnant. I-I took three tests. Then three_ more_ tests, 'till my brain just couldn't take it any more." _Quips. Quips are of the good._

"Oh, Buffy." She found herself enveloped in a Willow-hug. "What are you going to tell him? I mean, he was such a jerk to you, you know – after, but you have to tell him something, right?"

"Uhm…" _What?_ Spike kinda fled for the hills after that whole fiasco…Granted, _jerk_, still, but…

"I-I mean, you don't have to tell Parker anything, if you don't want to." Oh. "Listen to me babble…I'm sorry, Buff. What do _you_ wanna do?"

xXx


	3. Chapter 2

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 2

"Looks to me you're about a month along. Now, I don't want to come across as invading your territory, but, given your age, I feel compelled to make certain if you're aware of your options?" Buffy found two eyes and an obnoxiously thick pair of Buddy Holly glasses staring her way.

"Uhm, yeah. I am." _A _month._ One _month.

"I'd advise you to make your decision soon. If you are to continue the pregnancy you'll need…" Buffy tuned out Mr. Holly. One month. One month ago she was planning a daytime cemetery wedding and envisioning a first dance to _Wind Beneath My Wings. _

She wasn't sure if the baby not being Parker's was a blessing or a curse.

xXx

"Buffy?" Willow tore her face from the notebook in her lap. "How'd it go?"

"_Well…"_ At Willow's panicked face, she quickly added, "Fine. It was fine. Me and fetus – healthy."

"_Oh."_ Willow mock-clenched her chest, "You can't do ellipses on a conversation like this, Buffy, you scared me."

Buffy let loose a weak-hearted giggle, tension slightly ebbed, "Those ellipses are a killer…But, um, there is something, Will." Pulling her eyes away from a once-again concerned Willow, Buffy steeled her resolve and plunged for the truth, "About the Parker thing? ...It's not him – his."

Flabbergasted, Willow stammered, "But I thought…Is there – was there…someone _else_?" _Stammering Willow never good._

"No! Well, yes, but…Promise not to get judgey? Or – or weirded out? Well, _I _was weirded out – am, _am _weirded out, but…_gah_. I suck at this." Letting out a shaky gust of air, Buffy rested her head on her knees.

Confused, Willow treaded lightly, "Uh. I promise? Is – Is it Riley? 'Cause I won't be judgey or weirded, Buffy, I promise. I'll be supportive. And am, whatever you decide with this. You know I am."

"Okay…" _Just spit it out… "_Well, then, here goes…'Member the whole _let-my-will-be-done_ spell, about a month ago?"

"Yeah, I…" Gapingly large saucers replaced Willow's eyes. "Sp-Spike? Is _that_ who you're…"

"Hey! Judgey! _And it was the spell!" Rude._ It was _her_ will done anyway…

"Well, usually you wait until _after_ the wedding!" Willow declared, still in shock.

"The _spell_! The spell made us all frisky and make-out-y and _**with the friskiness!**__" _If Buffy's voice went any higher it would shatter the windows of the entire school.

Sobered, Willow reminded herself why they were so frisky to begin with. "_I_…I'm sorry, Buffy. I'm the last person to be judging on this one, considering…What are you gonna do?"

Brought back to the issue at hand, Buffy sat slumped, "I don't know, Will, I don't know."

xXx


	4. Chapter 3

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 3

"Um, hi guys. Mom." Glancing around Giles' living room, at her mom, Giles, and Xander, Buffy took a deep breath and steeled herself. _I can do this. I _have _to do this._

"Buffy, honey? What's wrong? Why are we here? I - I got this call from Willow saying I needed to be here, well, we all did." Buffy looked to her mother's face, scrunched in a miasma of confusion, curiosity, and concern. Then excitement. _Excitement? _"Is this a Scooby meeting? Are you trying to get me more involved in your slaying, Buffy?"

Oh. _What a great daughter I am._ Crestfallen, and ashamed, Buffy hung her head away from the curious eyes of her loved ones, "No, Mom. I'm sorry." _For that and what you're about to hear._

Suddenly a supportive hand lay against her shoulder. Buffy looked over to catch Willow's supportive face, both reassuring her and prompting her to continue. _You can do this, Buffy. You _have_ to do this._

"This isn't about slaying. _Although, I wouldn't really mind if it became about slaying..."_ she quipped. "I' um, I called - Willow called you all here - because I have something to tell all of you, and, well, she figured it'd be best, for me, that I don't have to repeat myself three times." Suddenly she noticed Anya for the first time, on the couch next to Xander. "Err...four times..." Glancing one more time at Willow for reassurance, she plunged forward, "Guys - Mom, Giles, Xander...and, uh, Anya, I guess - I'm pregnant."

_"WHAT?"_ _Well, sure thought Mom'd be the first one to make with the exclamations..._"Buffy?" Xander sat with a gaping fish-out-of-water look on his face. _Guess the fish steroids from a few years ago really did take..._

Buffy glanced at Giles, who seemed to be enamored with polishing his glasses until the glass was transformed back into tiny grains of sand, then at Anya, seemingly unfazed, who, when she caught Buffy's look, near-shouted very eagerly, with a smile, "Congratulations on the conception of your first-born!"

"Um, thanks?" At least someone wasn't angry or disappointed with her.

"Guys! No judging 'till you hear the rest! And Anya...please refrain from awkward comments..." At Buffy's wide-eyed look of reproach, Willow quickly caught herself "I mean, _no_ judging! And, you need to hear the rest. And Anya, same thing."

"Buffy? _What is going on?" _Buffy turned to her mother, who this time had a big, gaping giant whirlpool of emotions on her face - confusion, hurt, concern, and, what hurt most of all, disappointment.

Fighting back tears, Buffy gathered her strength and channeled her slayer-mode. "Xander? Giles? Remember Willow's whole "so-mote-it-be -"

"My-will-be done," Willow corrected.

"Whatever. That whole spell?" Buffy looked for recognition. Xander seemed confused. Giles looked horrified.

"Buffy, surely you're not saying...?" Giles seemed to be channeling his inner fish as well.

"What, I don't..." Xander suddenly looked like he was either going to implode or run to Giles' restroom to pay homage to the porcelain god.

"I kinda am saying." _I can get through this. _I have to get through this.

xXx

A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews so far! I'm glad people seem to be liking this fic. :)


	5. Chapter 4

Notes: I want to take a second to thank everyone who has reviewed this so far - on LiveJournal, on , and on Elysian Fields. Thank you guys so much! I don't think I'd have kept continuing if not for the wonderful feedback. :)  
>Also, due to requests and due to my desire to, I'm going to aim for longer chapters from here on out. A lousy 300 words seems way too short to dub a 'chapter.'<p>

Disclaimer: All characters are not mine. I own no rights to anything BtvS related. No copyright infringement intended.

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 4

After a lengthy explanation for the shenanigans that befell the Scoobies the previous month, recounted by Giles, and a brief, awkward explanation of Buffy's nudey shenanigans, recounted painfully by Buffy, Joyce was brought up to speed on the scenario.

After recovering from his fishy flustered-ness, Giles found his voice, "How is this possible, Buffy? As far as I'm concerned, vampires can't procreate."

_I thought so too._ "I don't know, Giles."

"Spike! Maybe he did something, that undead bastard." Xander fumed, over his initial shock and heading full-steam into righteous anger mode.

"As much as I'm not liking this, too, Xander, I highly doubt Spike would have plotted some insidious plan to knock me up. He was just as disgusted by the spell as I was. Besides, he bailed so quickly after that, I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for him. Not that I'd even want to tell him." That brought on a whole new set of worries for her. _What would he think of this? Would he want to get rid of it? And _why_ do I seem to be so concerned about the possible demon spawn gestating in me?_

Now thinking on it, Buffy realized she hadn't given Spike much thought. As much as Xander would like to think Spike had an evil master plan, she knew he never would have orchestrated the pregnancy, given their mutual hatred of one another and his fleeing at the first opportunity for freedom. _What would he think of this, though?_ Did he want kids? Did he already _have_ kids? As both amusing and disturbing the idea of mini-Spikes were, Buffy realized that even if he did already have kids, they'd be dead by now. Did he have grandchildren running around somewhere?

Would their kid have his blue eyes or her green? Blonde hair? What _was_ Spike's real hair color, anyway?

"Ritual sacrifice." Stunned out of her reverie, Buffy shot an incredulous stare at Anya. Glancing at the looks of horror on the group's faces, and Joyce's outright horrified expression, a hand raised to her mouth, Anya clarified, "Many ritual sacrifices require a first-born. That could be Spike's evil plan." At the continuance of the horrified looks, Anya huffed, "Oh, don't act like you weren't thinking it, too."

Giles recovered first, speaking slowly, "Well…While we cannot rule out Spike as behind this, Xander, I do think Buffy has a point. Spike was as perturbed as Buffy by the spell, and, frankly, I cannot see any reason why he would want to, _er_, impregnate her, _ritual sacrifices aside."_ Buffy rolled her eyes at Giles' discomfort. "I'll begin to search immediately all possibilities, Buffy."

"I'll help," Willow cut in. "Any way I can. I still feel so guilty." Willow sat slumped, apologetic eyes roaming from Buffy to Joyce, whose life she inadvertently changed with her magicks just as much as Buffy's.

"Right. We'll, uh, we'll get started on that soon, Willow." Giles turned his gaze to Joyce, who had been listening intently, a pensive look on her face. "Joyce, may I have a quick word?"

_Uh oh. _Buffy's eyes jumped from one to the other, nervousness building in the pit of her stomach.

"Of course." Rising to join Giles in the hallway, Joyce shot a glance at her, "I'll only be a minute." Buffy's nervousness grew to fear at the intensity of Joyce's eyes. Her mother wanted to talk to her after, clearly.

Straining to hear the conversation between her mother and Giles, Buffy tip-toed, incognito, as close to them as she could muster, Willow and the others remaining seated, eavesdropping where they sat.

"Will assist…concern…understand…" Buffy could only hear snippets of Giles' voice carry, her mother's whisper too soft and low to comprehend.

Their conversation was over quickly, and Buffy muttered quick 'goodbyes' to her friends and Giles, Willow signaling that she'd call her later. Walking out of the apartment with her mother, Buffy prepared herself for what would, undoubtedly, be a difficult conversation.

xXx

_You could cut the tension in this car with a knife…_

Mother and daughter sat, silent, as Joyce drove away from Giles' apartment complex. Preparing herself for a verbal showdown, Buffy was perplexed when Joyce broke the silence.

"How about we go over to The Expresso Pump? Grab a couple of hot chocolates? That sound good?" Buffy slowly turned to her mother, confused. _She's not going to yell at me? Kill me?_

At Buffy's look, Joyce sighed, pulling the car over and putting it into park. "Buffy, I – I'm not going to give you a lecture. I – honestly, I don't even know what I'd be lecturing for. For being under a spell? You weren't yourself, and, like Mr. Giles said, your pregnancy shouldn't even have been possible." She sighed. "I'm just worried. We don't know how this happened, or why. We'll have to figure this out, and – and deal with school and what to do when the baby comes, among other things." _If it is human, anyway, _Buffy thought. "I just…it's a lot for you to deal with."

"You're…you're not disappointed in me?" Buffy's eyes shone with unshed tears, her anxiety over her mother's reaction teetering, unsure.

"Buffy, honey, no. I'm not disappointed." Joyce's face softened, "I know that nothing about this is going to be easy, and neither you nor I were ready for this. But, honey, we will get through this – you'll get through this. We have to, and we will, together."

Anxiety flying away, Buffy smiled and wiped her eyes.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N for this chapter: WARNING, this chapter does contain Riley, HOWEVER, he's totally not going to be Buffy's romantic interest at all in anything I write _ever_, so no worries. Note that, however, in previous episodes and including Something Blue, he was Buffy's almost-boyfriend, so I had to include him and give him the proper shove-off, if you will. Also, I feel inclined to note that he may or may not make an additional appearance in this fic, but never as Buffy's boyfriend. Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 5

"So how'd it go?" Having returned to her dorm, Buffy sat and recounted to Willow the conversation she had had with her mother. She'd had a weight lifted off her chest upon hearing that her mother wasn't disappointed in her, but she had a new, shiny weight unceremoniously shoved on her chest when her mother began to talk about the serious things, like what to do about school, among other wig-worthy concerns.

They agreed that Buffy would finish this semester, and continue on further depending on what Giles and Willow found in their research. Buffy found herself cringing at the thought of what they might find. Demon baby? A curse set on her? And despite her feelings about Spike, she found herself cringing more at the thought of having anything but a normal, human mini-Spike and Buffy. As much as Buffy could handle herself around all things evil, she'd rather not have to fight something invading her own body. Whether or not she could handle a human baby was another question.

"I'm glad it went okay with your mom, Buffy." Shaken of her reverie, Buffy turned to Willow.

"Me too." A thought struck her, and she beamed. "In fact, I'm _so_ pleased that _something_ has gone smoothly in this whole crisis, let's go out and do something fun."

"Uh, like what? I'm not so sure the Bronze would be good..." Willow hesitated, seeing the look of reproach spread dangerously Buffy's face.

"What,_ in my condition_? I can dance, Will, there's no danger there."

"I guess so. But no accepting of any drinks in foam form, missy! Or soda. Or coffee. You know, those tend to not be good, too."

"No worries on the foamy-ness. Bear _bad_. I learned my lesson weeks ago when I had that drink fest with those guys..." Her eyes took on a deer-in-headlights look as a thought struck her. "Oh my god, Will! Riley! What am I going to tell him?"

"Uh...Uh-oh."

So much for a celebratory outing to the Bronze.

xXx

Buffy hadn't spent much time at all thinking of anything but her "condition," completely forgetting about her not-quite-yet-a-boyfriend Riley. There was no good way to explain her predicament to him without sounding completely asylum-worthy. The only way he'd see it would make her out to not only be the "bad guy," but a total ho, too. Then again, Buffy thought, she didn't _have_ to tell him if it ended up not being a normal pregnancy. The Scoobies would help her kick some demon butt and it'd all go back to normal...

"What are you thinking about, Buffy?"

_Crap._ Buffy had a feeling Willow wouldn't quite see around to her way of ignor-er, _thinking._

"You know, just, about Riley, and how this might not even _be_ a baby, and how we'd, you know, fix it, and then..."

"Buffy, no. You can't play avoid-y with something so serious. Riley's going to get suspicious. And-and lying? Not good. Lying, and-and keeping secrets, and playing games? It leads to badness, Buffy. Badness, and-and bad spell casting that causes these things in the first place!"

Sighing, Buffy fiddled with her hands and mulled over Willow's words, fueled by her painful break-up with Oz, a wound still gaping and fresh. True, lying did lead to much badness, but the truth? Kinda impossible to tell.

"Buffy, I'm not saying to, you know, tell him everything, that'd kinda not go over so well. But you can't just ignore everything. It's not fair."

"I know."

"And...what if it is a baby? A _normal_ baby."

Buffy looked down, away from Willow's eyes, "Then it's really not fair."

A normal baby now seemed much more precarious than demon spawn.

xXx

"Hey." The sight of Riley approaching her, clearly eager to see her, a smile lighting up his face, made Buffy feel like running to the nearest woman's restroom to have at that morning sickness for the second time today.

"Hi, Riley. Uh, wanna sit?" She gestured for him to sit next to her on the dusty bench she was perched on. Having this conversation outside, rather than inside a dorm or hangout spot, on the campus of UC Sunnydale seemed a better idea to Buffy: no eavesdroppers or feelings of claustrophobia. She could breathe easier out here while, internally, she was a miasma of conflicting feelings.

She'd prepped her speech all afternoon with Willow, the both of them having decided that letting him down entirely was the best choice. Regardless of whether the baby would be normal or not, while she dealt with this situation she didn't have time to play the part of girlfriend, despite how much she wanted to.

"Of course. So what's this about? Not that I don't want to see you or anything," he added quickly, in his goofy over-eager manner, "It's just unexpected. In a good way." He flashed her another one of those disarming smiles, and despite herself, she smiled back, his good-natured charm worming itself into even this difficult situation.

But despite how much she did like Riley - normal, stable, honest Riley - she couldn't have him, and she reminded herself of this as she gathered her bearings before she dove into her speech. She thought about how happy he looked to see her, and how much she was dealing with right now, and what she would possibly be dealing with in the future. He wouldn't be able to handle it, or anything that she went through on a normal basis. He was too good a guy to bring into her unstable, unpredictable life, and, looking at him now, innocent and ignorant of the seedy underbelly of Sunnydale that she dove into daily, she knew more than ever that she had to let him go. So, taking a breath, Buffy launched into her prepped words, and broke a heart.

xXx


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: WHAT, so soon? Why, yes! I suppose I just couldn't help it, I had to get right on to writing the next chapter! Also, I have received several comments asking where Spike was and when he will be making an appearance in this fic. Rest assured, my readers, he WILL be most DEFINATELY in the next chapter. From the prologue to this chapter, I felt the need to make certain events happen before heading full steam into where I want this fic to go. I apologize to any readers who have felt frustrated with the lack of Spike! Don't worry, from now on, he will be just as central a character as our dear Buffy.**

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 6

Buffy spent the next few days wallowing in the loss of one of her only chances for a normal relationship - a wallowing that even challenged Willow's post Oz-break-up gloom. Ice-cream and chocolate bars both made an appearance as VIP guests to her sad-fest, and Mr. Gordo was entrusted as her confidant to hear her complaints on replay. _He never told her she was wrong._

However, Buffy knew giving Riley up was for the best, and she_ also_ knew that she had the right to some heavy-duty moping, but _God _knew, and Buffy knew deep-down, that mini-Buffy could only take so much sugar before developing fetus-diabetes. So with a heavy heart, she shoved the ice cream in the fridge and trudged up Giles' walkway for a chance to hear some good news. The sun shining brightly and the lush green foliage hugging the familiar building painted her an inviting portrait of homey comfort and positivity. Giles always had answers. He'd tell her something that'd lighten up her mood.

As she held out her hand to pull open the front door, however, she heard a book violently slam shut.

"Bloody hell!" Buffy's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and, forgoing making an entrance, she put an ear to the wooden door.

"...uh, Giles?" Willow sounded equally perturbed by Giles' uncharacteristic outburst, the cause of which must've been _not of the good._ So much for a pick-me-up.

"None of these blasted books have any answers! We're no closer to finding out anything of this - this mystery pregnancy of Buffy's, and, frankly, I'm beginning to think these past few days have entirely been in vain!"

"Well, we're not done looking. And - and maybe we can ask Buffy some things, get some details, to try to pin-point what we're looking for?" Things? _Details?_

"Hi guys!" Buffy thought it was high-time to make an entrance. They could kindly stay away from her details, _thank you very much._

"Buffy! Hi!" Willow looked relieved to not be the only one witness to Giles' frustrated wrath any longer, and Giles was half-way to the "polishing glasses" stage of his irritation, angrily whipping off his spectacles. "Uh…I guess maybe you heard some things?"

"I guess research isn't going so well?" She wasn't going to lie.

Sighing, Giles gathered some of his composure and turned to her, "I apologize, Buffy. My outburst was uncalled for, and I - I certainly didn't mean to upset you if I did so. And although I loathe admit it, yes, research is not going so well. At this point I dare say I'm not so certain we shouldn't contact the Council for resources." Giles's glasses were now being subjected to a vigorous wiping, and dare Buffy say it, but Giles was _definitely not seeing straight._

"No!" Willow and Buffy glanced at one another, having voiced their severe opposition in tandem.

Willow spoke for the both of them, "Giles, that would be a horrible idea! They tried to kill Buffy during that Cruciamentum test, and then fired you for _caring too much_! What makes you think they wouldn't harm Buffy now?" Willow was now turned to Giles, her "resolve face" having firmly taken residence.

"Yeah, like Willow said! Only with threats of violence if you do call them up." There was absolutely no way the Council was getting anywhere near her again, especially now.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, Willow. I won't make a move to contact them. My proposing it as an idea only reflects my being at my wit's end over this whole matter. I haven't a –a single clue, Buffy. I regret to say this, but there isn't a single reference to any vampire anywhere, at any point in time, procreating. It's impossible. If - if it weren't, Slaying would be a much bigger business than it is today."

"Gee, that's good to hear…" _As is the weariness in Giles' voice, _Buffy 'd been researching ever since she'd told him of her pregnancy, had found nothing yet, and now seemed to be at a loss for what to do. Nothing about this spontaneous trip to see Giles was reassuring in the slightest.

"That doesn't mean that I'm giving up in my search, Buffy. I promised you – and your mother – that I'd do all I can. I intend to fulfill that promise." She sure hoped so.

xXx

"Buffster! How's the pregnant life treating 'ya?" Buffy had decided a trip to see Xander wouldn't hurt. Maybe his enthusiasm for geeky quips would work its charm and uplift her morose spirit.

"Crummy. Giles has zero leads on how my demon spawn came to be. – Hey, got any ice cream?"

"No! No more ice cream, Buffy! Babies need – need carbs, and protein, and vitamins!" _And why, again, did I decide Willow needed a research break?_

"But I want it! And it's probably just a demon baby anyway, and those just eat…I don't know, blood? And – and blood has blood _sugar_ right? And I can't have blood, 'cause, _gross_, so I'll just have to substitute it for ice…" At the look on Willow's face (What was it about her resolve face that got people doing things they didn't want to, anyway?), she caved, "Fine. Real food." Buffy slumped onto the couch and huffed.

"SpaghettiO's à la hot plate, comin' right up!" Xander got up to prepare a can.

"You know, a lot of demons actually eat infants." _And why did Xander always have Anya with him?_

Buffy shot a glare at her, on the other end of the couch, just as Xander turned from the hotplate, "Anya, _so not helping right now."_

"Just stating a fact..." The two were now both huffing and slumping their irritation away.

"Besides, Buffy's mini-demon is of the vampire variety. The little Slayer'd go for the blood, not the babies. Uh...hopefully. Speaking of vamps, still no idea where daddy Spike went off to?"

"That'd be a no. Wouldn't have a clue how to even look for him." Thinking on Spike's whereabouts only made Buffy think a thousand thoughts she'd rather not have to ponder, like what he'd think about this whole mess, for one. "Not that I'd want to know where he is, anyway," she muttered.

"That's it!"

Everyone, including Xander mid-opening a can of SpaghettiO's, turned to stare at Willow.

"I - I'm sorry guys, but I just got an idea that might help out Buffy. I - I gotta go," Shrugging on her bag, she raced out the basement door, "I'll see you guys later!"

Buffy and Xander turned to watch Willow dash out, flabbergasted, while Anya was seemingly the only one unfazed. "What's her problem?"

xXx

"So, you two scatter some powder over the map of Sunnydale, and little dots show where all the demons are?"

"Precisely, Buffy. And, if you are indeed carrying a - a _demon baby_, if you will, a dot would show up in your house, uh, here," He pointed to a tiny square among numerous other tiny squares. "I must say, Willow's idea to use this spell was quite brilliant."

"Thanks, Giles." Willow beamed, clearly proud of her burgeoning magic skills.

"So, this spell essentially tracks the movements of every demon in town? _Why did we not use this before?_" Xander did have a great point, there.

Ignoring Xander's remark, Joyce cut in, "So, then no dot in the house means it's a normal, human baby, right?" Buffy could sympathize with her mother's anxiety. After a couple of weeks of worrying, they would finally have answers. Hopefully, good answers, which Buffy equated with having a normal, human baby.

"Exactly." Willow reassured Joyce, and she and Giles moved to take their seats around the circle of candles, each taking matches to light them one by one. Every miniscule move they took amped up Buffy's anxiety.

Despite her bout of depression over Riley and the unfairness of her condition, she did hope with every fiber of her being that she didn't have to deal with anything more troublesome than a human infant. Anything other than that would entail slaying, and she wasn't sure how she'd even accomplish that, considering the demon in need of slayage would be in her.

Candles lit, Giles and Willow prepped their jars of powder and turned to Buffy, silently asking, "Are you ready?" At her nod, they tipped their jars.

Each flick of the wrist sent tiny beads of powder flying all over Sunnydale, and, breaths held, everyone kept their eyes glued to the tiny square marking 1630 Revello Drive.

One by one, tiny flashes of light burst onto the paper: the sewers were alight and glowing, and the little box that was Willy's threatened to burn the retinas of all who dared set eyes upon it.

Closing her eyes, Buffy mentally prepared herself for what was to come, and reassured herself that, no matter what, she had her mother, Giles, and her friends by her side. Taking a deep breath, gathering her strength, she opened her eyes and searched Sunnydale.

A demon here, a demon there, a colossal amount underneath the rubble of Sunnydale High, and apparently one down the street (she'd make sure to take care of him later this week), but on 1630 Revello Drive, there wasn't a light to be seen.

xXx


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm pretty antsy about this chapter, as I'm gearing away from the previous light-heartedness and humor and heading full-stem into some angst. *Bites nails nervously.* Hope you like, and as a reward to all the wonderful people who reviewed or just peeked in to read, here's Spike entering the story, where he will now stalk every chapter…

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 7

_4 Years Later_

It seemed like someone was taking a jackhammer to Spike's head, or perhaps slowly jamming an ice pick into his frontal lobe. Slowly he raised himself up on his forearms and took stock of his surroundings. An array of obnoxious neon signs on the wall next to him advertised a colorful collection of beer, and as he patted his head, he picked out pieces of asphalt and tiny shards of glass. Right, he got thrown out of that bar…again.

No matter how much older and how much more notorious he was compared to other demons, being forced to get his blood fix from a bag really brought down his street cred. Usually this sparked taunting from other vamps, which lead to fights, which led to Spike being kicked out of nearly every bar in town.

Slowly picking himself up and dusting off his coat, he braved the sunlight and hopped into the sewers of Oakland. He'd find a demon bar he hadn't yet been kicked out of and drink away his hangover.

Once he reached a point in the sewer, he lifted a manhole cover, hopped out, and ran into the shade of a nearby building. Through the shadows, he headed for a place on the edge of town.

Spike anticipated many drinks to soothe his pounding headache, but as soon as he walked in, his sour mood darkened even further.

A group of Chaos Demons sat at one end of the bar.

Grudgingly taking a seat as far away from them as he could, he ordered himself a drink and brooded on his misfortune.

Going back to Sunnydale after Drusilla dumped him had been his biggest mistake. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have a chip in his head, and he certainly wouldn't have a bunch of _fledglings_ daring to mock him. He wouldn't have this insufferable hangover…well, maybe, but he wouldn't have been kicked out of that bar.

Spike scowled and drank his displeasure into oblivion. Slowly, however, the pieces of the conversation amongst the Chaos Demons began to work its way into his joyously muddled brain.

"_The Hellmouth…Sunnydale…Slayer…child…"_

Slayer…_child?_

"Oi," he decided to put aside his displeasure with Chaos Demons just this once, "what's this about the Slayer?"

The group turned his way, and one piped up, "Didn't you hear? Slayer's a _mommy_, has her friends out there fighting vamps now and then while she babysits. Sunnydale's been sort of a demon free-for-all the past few years. She's got too many things on her mind to…"

Spike tuned him out. Slayer was a mum and her Scoobies were out slaying for her? She'd certainly be off her game, and his time here in Oakland wasn't exactly going great…

"What about those GI Joe blokes, the soldiers?"

The demons looked at one another and the same slimy demon responded, "Well, a couple of guys we know almost got caught, but…" He tuned him out again after hearing that the Initiative was still there; nothing they said about them would be anything he didn't know already.

He pondered this new knowledge for a bit. His aimless living here in the city was nothing but that: aimless. Back in Sunnydale, he'd had his own place and a steady supply a blood – albeit one supplied by the Scoobies themselves, but he knew a few places he could pilfer from. If he could stay out of the Initiative's radar, he could get out of this hellhole and back to the Hellmouth. And with the Slayer distracted, maybe he could even hatch a new scheme to permanently get rid of her, and he'd have one less thing to worry about.

Spike grinned. Seemed Chaos Demons could prove useful after all.

Thanking the group, he left, headed south.

xXx

"Thanks so much for watching her, Giles." He turned to Buffy, tucking a stake in her back pocket while climbing down the stairs.

"No trouble. Seems I don't get enough time babysitting, what with Willow and Tara always wanting the chance."

"They just wanna have some quality auntie time with Joan, but don't worry, quality Grandpa Giles time is equally valued by her." At the door, she shrugged on her coat.

"Oh, Buffy, I've told you how I feel about that name…"

"And I've told you that you know you secretly love it."

"Perhaps…" Of course he loved it. Giles loved Buffy like a daughter, and Joan like his granddaughter, and whenever Joyce was out of town, like today, he relished in every moment he could spend pampering her.

Mentally going over her checklist, Buffy told Giles that she'd be back by four thirty and that Joan should be up from her nap soon.

Heading out the door, she prepared herself for another night of patrolling.

xXx

Dust flew in the breeze and Buffy pocketed her stake. All in all, a successful patrol, and true to her word, she set out on her way back home twenty minutes before four thirty.

As she approached the cemetery's exit, however, she felt the familiar tingles that signaled a vamp presence nearby. Slowly, she reached into her back pocket and scanned the area surrounding her. She supposed she'd missed one.

Carefully retracing her steps back into the depths of the cemetery, she found her feelings dissipated, and she set out on her way home once more. Maybe she was just out of it today.

But, turning around, she saw the last thing she expected.

"_Au fond de ce jardin souriante…j'__é__tais trop de l'__é__ternit__é..__." _

And the aforementioned thing said the last thing she expected at that moment, "Huh?"

"It's Sartre, love. But, then I guess you had to drop out of university, considerin'…"

Buffy froze.

Reading the apprehension on her face, Spike sauntered over, smirking, "Yeah, heard all about the nibblet. That bloke with the eyebrows get another poke at you?"

In a second Spike found himself flat against a stone wall, Buffy grasping him by the throat.

"I don't know who you've been talking to, but you stay the hell away from my daughter."

Spike grinned sardonically, "So it's a girl then?"

He was on the ground, a mean right hook inflicted upon his jaw.

Buffy ran home, fighting back tears.

xXx

"Buffy? What on earth…"

She didn't stop to answer Giles. Instead, she pushed past him and dashed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. In the hallway, she lightened her steps and peeked into the pink room at the end of the hall.

Her daughter lied fast asleep in her bed.

She let out a shaky breath, relieved Joan was alright. Buffy didn't think that Spike would hatch an insidious plan against her so quickly after seeing her at the cemetery. Yet after witnessing his casual yet malicious manner, she wasn't so certain any longer what he was capable of.

She tip-toed inside, sat on the pale pink bed, and tucked a lock of ash blonde hair away from her daughter's face.

In Joan's room, certain her daughter was safe and sound asleep, Buffy allowed herself to let out her frenzied emotions, and she wept.

xXx

A/N: Spike's French line is indeed Jean-Paul Sartre, from his book La Nausée. Incidentally, that happens to also be the book Angel is reading by his fireplace as Spike looks in on him scowling in Lover's Walk. The line translates loosely to: "At the bottom of this smiling garden, I was too much for eternity." Why? Because Sartre is gloomy and fun, and he's alluding to a cemetery, at least my French professor told me. Oh, gloomy Angel. Too much…just too much…*Brood.

Hope you caught on to the "eyebrows" reference being Parker. He's always seemed too eyebrow-y for my taste…

Tell me how you feel about this angsty-ness and the time jump! I love commentary and messages in my inbox more than chocolate chip cookies. And I LOVE chocolate chip cookies.


	9. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** I own no rights to any recognizable characters, nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer or anything related to it. No profit is being made by me and no copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N:** For the purposes of the story, everything canon that happened after Something Blue - the fight against Adam, Joyce's death, Glory, The Nerd Trio, The First - didn't happen. I just couldn't kill of Joyce, she's too sweet a person. I have twice forgotten to mention that the spell I used in Chapter 6, the one that Willow uses to track demons, is the very same in the episode "Same Time, Same Place." I'm sure everyone gathered that, but I want to properly give credit where credit is due. Lastly, I want to thank once more all of you who have read and reviewed so far – you guys make my day and motivate me to continue writing! :)

Betaed by musesinbasement.

**Something New by itsayamsham**

Chapter 8

Retreating to her room after saying goodnight to Giles, Buffy found herself staring at her bedroom ceiling, consumed with worry. She had tried to assure Giles that she was alright, and, viewing Buffy's red-rimmed eyes, Giles had hesitated, but bid her goodnight, making internal plans to return in the morning, after she had gotten some rest, for a proper answer.

Wrapped up in the comforting safety of her bed, Buffy couldn't help but think about what could have prompted Spike to return to Sunnydale. For four years she hadn't heard a word about him, and rather than wasting time wondering where he ran off to, she preoccupied herself with ensuring that no demon in Sunnydale came into contact with Joan. It was impossible to hide her pregnancy and the fact that she had a child from the demon world around her, but she and her Scoobie gang held it within their power to prevent any harm in coming to her daughter. Willow and her girlfriend, and fellow witch, Tara, enshrouded her home with protection spells regularly, and Buffy made sure that Joan didn't go anywhere without her cross necklace.

Having recently turned four, her daughter wasn't aware of the lengths her family went for her, or the reasons behind them. She just thought her cross necklace was shiny and pretty, and that Auntie Willow and Tara often smelled like Christmas trees and the flowers her grandmother liked to plant in the backyard. Buffy, having been deprived of a normal childhood after she had turned fifteen, was adamant that her daughter not lose a second of hers, or a shred of her innocence, and had decided to keep her in the dark for as long as she could. So patrolling became "Mommy's working another night shift," and Scoobie meetings became "Mommy's friends and Grandpa Giles are coming over to talk about grown-up things." Joan was aware, however, that, because her mom worked out a lot and ate _all_ her vegetables, she was _really_ strong.

Despite that, the Scoobies pitched in once in a while to patrol for her - but had done so more often during and right after her pregnancy - and they and Joyce often babysat for her when she performed her Slayer duties on her own. Buffy'd left school, being the Slayer and a mom leaving little room for her studies, and she'd gone through several entry-level jobs, the last being a waitress for a local cafe. Unfortunately for Buffy, they didn't appreciate her constant unavailability for night shifts and frequent "family emergencies," and had let her go.

Under no circumstances, however, not even for the sake of keeping a job, could she shirk her calling, now more than ever. If she had been lax or apathetic about her duties before that fateful spell four years previously, now she was downright rigorous and ruthless. Before she was fighting for the safety of the world, and now she was fighting for both the world and for Joan. The sheer power of a willful Slayer is nothing to be messed with, but the power of a mother fighting for her child is a force to be reckoned with. Adding the two up, Buffy was what Xander liked to call a "double whammy." Occasionally a vamp or demon would escape her grasp, more so than four years ago, because of her inability to patrol every night, but no one dared threaten her daughter. Ever.

Drilling holes into her ceiling, however, Buffy wasn't so certain the double whammy was prepared for this new foe, if Spike's intent was to become hers again. Thinking about the way he'd spoken to her – as he had the first time she'd met him in the hallway at Sunnydale High, she wasn't so certain that he didn't intend to. Buffy's instincts as both the Slayer and as a mother were screaming for her to be cautious and to keep her guard up.

Turning over in her bed, Buffy resolved to make plans for another "grown-ups" meeting the next morning and tried to will away thoughts of her encounter with Spike. Shutting her eyes, attempting to get some rest, she also tried to will away the knowledge that, amid all of her fear and worry over her would-be adversary, she felt a sense of…disappointment.

xXx

In the morning Buffy awoke to find a pair of twinkling blue eyes staring her down.

"Mommy, Grandma told me to wake you up so you can come eat breakfast with us."

Groaning, Buffy laid her head back down on her pillow and playfully dragged a giggling Joan down to lay next to her.

"I don't wanna." Gathering her daughter into her arms and dropping a sloppy kiss onto her forehead, Buffy asked, "How about we sleep in today, Joanie?"

"But Grandma made pancakes!"

She relented.

Not even the evilest of evil could resist the manipulative ploy of that pouty face.

xXx

Stabbing at her pancakes and twirling pizza-slice-shaped bits around a pool of sticky maple syrup, Buffy found her emotions interfering with her appetite.

After Joan retreated into the living room to play, she took the opportunity to speak to her mother and relayed the events of the previous night to her in detail. Joyce expressed as much, if not more, concern as Buffy had, and promised to keep Joan entertained upstairs while Buffy called Giles and her friends over for a Scoobie meeting.

Fifteen minutes later, her living room was filled and five faces were raptly glued to her own as she retold her story for the second time that day.

"That son of a bitch." She figured Xander would be the first to damn Spike on her behalf.

"Buffy, why didn't you inform me of this yesterday?" Giles cut in.

She looked away from his inquiring eyes. "I…kinda wanted some time to think, you know, let it sink in. I didn't want to talk about it yet," she admitted.

"Ah."

"Buffy, I - I can't imagine how that must have felt. It's like, four years he's gone off to who-knows-where, then - poof! – back in Sunnydale, and he's all 'grr, I'm still the Big Bad, I'm coming after you…'" At everyone's pointed looks, Willow paused, "I – I just mean it must feel weird."

"Yes, and the French thing is very off-putting and strange, although must be indicative that he's well-read and quite intelligent despite his repeated failed attempts to kill you." Anya did have a point, there.

"Yes, it's all weird and strange and _what the hell are we gonna do about this?"_

"I don't know, Xand. I figured we could bulk up the protection spells around the house, even though he can't come in anyways…We could do some patrolling, see if anything seems off, beat up Willy for info - that kind of thing." Buffy figured he might have encountered Spike since he'd been back.

"Well, I'm always up for beating Willy, er, beating up Willy."

"Then Xander and Anya'll do that, and Will, Tara, you'll do some protection spell bulkage?"

Willow nodded, "Of course, we'll swing by our apartment and come back with the supplies."

"But Buffy, why would Spike feel compelled to return to Sunnydale now, or ever, for that matter? It seems incongruous that he would return to the very place that is responsible for planting the chip in his head, and – and has been – "

"_The place of many of his ass-kickings by you_. Giles does bring up another good point, though, Buff. He still has the chip in his head, doesn't he? He can't really hurt you."

"I don't know, Xand. We didn't exactly fight yesterday, so I can't really know." Buffy chewed on her lip, worrying. The grown-ups meeting seemed to Buffy to just be building up her existing anxiety. "As for why he's here now, I have no clue."

"Buffy, do you think maybe…maybe he knows?" Tara asked softly.

"No. He kind of insinuated that Joan was Parker's, so I really doubt it." Buffy herself had worried constantly during her pregnancy that it wasn't Spike's, and that she had suffered a severe lapse in memory. Maybe it was some mystically-induced demonic pregnancy, or an alien fetus, or maybe she'd passed out at some party at school, and…They hadn't ever found a reason behind the impossible conception, despite Giles' constant researching, and until Buffy finally became witness to her daughter's replica blue eyes, proof that she wasn't crazy, she was consumed with anxiety.

"That she was who's?" Right, Giles hadn't known about that…

"No one, Giles! Some random guy, it's…nothing."

"Giles!" Her thoughts were interrupted by the four-year-old running through the living room doors and promptly projecting herself into Giles' arms.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, she just flew down the stairs." Joyce walked in after Joan, sending a tight, apologetic smile to the group.

"It's alright, Mom, we're pretty much done here for now. Meet back in an hour?" Tara and Willow left for their apartment, Xander and Anya left for the bar, and Buffy plopped down next to Giles on the couch. She'd patrol that night, and Giles seemed unable for the life of him to extricate himself from the heap of over-exuberant four-year-old.

In an hour, her team of groupies would return and they'd get down to business, but until then, Buffy held down the fort, silently rooting for Xander and Anya in their conquest for information.

Thirty minutes later, however, they walked back in, Xander with bruised knuckles, and professed that Willy knew nothing.

Go team.

xXx


End file.
